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Your Second Act isn't just about starting over; it's about starting smarter. You’ve left the safety of a structured career to follow your passion, and while the opportunity is exciting, the uncertainty is real. You have the vision and the drive, but without a roadmap, that leap of faith can quickly feel like a freefall.
Welcome to Second Act Business Owner, the podcast dedicated to ensuring your new venture lands on solid ground.
Hosted by Lee Gray—an award-winning ActionCOACH, certified executive trainer, and serial entrepreneur—this show is for the courageous professionals who are trading corporate stability for entrepreneurial freedom. Lee understands that being an expert in your field doesn’t automatically make you an expert in running a business.
Each week, we strip away the fluff to provide the real-world MBA training you need to turn chaos into clarity. From navigating the emotional rollercoaster of ownership to mastering the mechanics of profit, Lee brings the structure and strategy required to build a legacy.
Hit follow and let’s get to work.
Ep17
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[00:00:00]
Lee Gray: Welcome everyone to episode 17. We're going to be talking about the law of the vacuum. I'm wondering how many of you are familiar with the law of the vacuum. The law of the vacuum basically says you can't receive what's next if you're holding on to something that's no longer serving you.
That's pretty cool, isn't it? We're gonna dive into that. I'm Coach Lee and I'm here today to navigate with you your second [00:01:00] act, and today I'm going to be sharing this amazing law of business, the law of the vacuum. ~ But there...~
the law of the vacuum, making room.
What the Vacuum Law Means
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Lee Gray: Let me ask you a question. Have you ever noticed that when one door closes, another door opens? That's a perfect example of the law of the vacuum. And it's not luck. If we actually create space for something better to show up, then something better can show up So the law of the vacuum says that nature hates an empty space.
When you intentionally remove something that no longer serves you, you create something that can enter that's better. And it isn't just personal development. I see this in business, I see it every single week in coaching, and I see it in a second act as well. If you do not choose what to fill your space with, the law of the vacuum says that the space [00:02:00] will be filled for you, and that will impact your life, your business, and your second act.
Coaching Story Delegation Wins
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Lee Gray: So here's an example I wanna give you of how the law of the vacuum works. I coached an owner who complained all the time. He never had time to grow his business. Then he spent three hours a day answering emails and approving every single decision, because he was the only one that could approve every single decision, and solving every single employee problem that came across the desk.
So how could leadership show up in his business when management was taking the space, all the space, of this business owner? That's basically what was happening. That's the law of the vacuum in this case. The vacuum wasn't money, it wasn't employees, it was his time. And once he delegated, the business grew.
~And, ~and that's just it. These laws are so simple, it's like, well, could it really be true that it's that [00:03:00] simple? Um, yeah, the answer is yes. The laws work. The laws are real
Instead of three hours of emails, we figured out a strategy for him to delegate his email reviewing to someone else. He still looked at his important emails, and then we ~l-~ let some of the people who were fully qualified to do management of his employees and his business. That freed up time for him to do the things that were really important in his business.
He was on a growth, in a growth mode and started making coffee meetings every single day. Two coffee meetings every single day. He had time for that. What happened when that space got filled up, that space filled up with new energy, new ideas, new customers, new referrals, instead of it just being taken up with that mundane task that he was doing of the administration stuff in the business.
But, you know, we get caught up in that administration stuff, don't we? Because it feels like we're so [00:04:00] busy. .. Until there is space, nothing else will come to us. The results in his business, , I am not kidding you, the res- results in his business when we made space for the right activities literally changed overnight.
The first coffee meeting he had resulted in a new client. That's the law of the vacuum. And you, you've probably seen this.
Retail and Restaurant Examples
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Lee Gray: If you're a boutique or a boutique owner and the shelves are full, but nothing's leaving, you know, everything just stays on the shelf, stays on the shelf.
If we made space for something new, put in new product, brought in new energy, then sales would increase, and that's exactly how it works in retail. We know if that old product stays in there, eventually people go away. There's something about new space with new product, with new service, with new ideas, brings in new things, brings in new energy.
So it isn't just a [00:05:00] law. Well, it is a law, but it's also a business booster. The law of the vacuum can be used as a business booster for your business Let's talk about another example. So this is a restaurant, and you've probably witnessed this too. You go to a restaurant and it's the same old, same old thing.
~C-~ two things. Number one, you could have way too many items on your menu. That ends up costing you money. So you could take some of those extra menu items off and put in one or two new items and then promote those. Less energy, and you fill up that space with something new, something exciting, and ..
the waitstaff, they're even like, "Let me tell you about two new products that we've added to the menu today. We're really excited about
this item or that item." It brings in energy because you've made space for it. There's always
room on the menu in a restaurant for something new. By removing the, all those extra items, the kitchen moves faster, the food's better, they have less waste.
~They ha-~ the [00:06:00] profits are just higher. In this case of the law of the vacuum, sometimes subtraction creates multiplication, and that's what often happens in a restaurant environment when that happens, when they do that.
, I like to think of it as this, this way too.
Garage Closet Space Check
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Lee Gray: If you have a garage that's... If your garage is, like, full from top to bottom, left to right, side to side, up and down, every which way, what's the likelihood that a new car would fit in your garage? Have you ever thought about that?
Every time I make space for something, it appears. It happens in closets, it happens in garages, it happens in business, and it happens in relationships. What does your garage look like right now? What does it look like? Do you want a boat in there?
If you do, you need to make some space for it. What does your closet look like? What does your business look like? What do you need to make space for in your business? Do you need to make space for new marketing? Do you need to make space to start a podcast? Do you need to make space to hire [00:07:00] someone? Where do you need to make space?
Letting Go of Draining Clients
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Lee Gray: Another example is, a coach, accountant, a salon owner, contractor has clients that drain every ounce of energy. If you're in that kind of business, you know exactly what I'm talking about. They pay the least, they complain the most, ~they,~ they don't refer people to you.
If they do, it's the wrong kind of people. But w- we're afraid to let them go. Every single time the wrong customer has been let go, we've made ~fa-~ space to finally see and allow new clients. And what happens is ideal clients find their way to you when there's space
Making Room for Second Act
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Lee Gray: Let's talk about your second act, whether you're deep into your second act or you're just starting about your second,. People that want a second act, sometimes they try to add it to the top of their life. If you want a second act in your life, you're going to have to make space for it.
Some of the things that are taking up space in our lives as a second actor is fear. Ugh, [00:08:00] fear can be a real space taker. Not feeling certain about, "Oh my gosh, what's going to happen in my second act?" Or, "I've always done it this way. I'm, I'm afraid to change."
And sometimes, you know, a job that you have that's keeping you from taking the plunge to your second act is crushing your spirit. I mean, think about it. Space that you can open up could create a healthier spirit for you. That's a pretty amazing thing to do when you think about how simple it is to take something out that doesn't belong, that's drawing energy from you, costing you money, costing you time, opening up space, and then taking intentional actions to fill that space with what you want in life.
What's the car, what's the boat you want in your garage? And I think the cool thing is you don't have to know every step of the way. And, you know, two steps forward and one step back, you've [00:09:00] heard that ~b-~ before. This sort of works like the law of the vacuum. I've gotta t- if I'm gonna take some steps forward, I've gotta go back, get rid of something, and then take two steps forward, maybe another step back.
Okay, what do I need to look back on? What do I need to let go of before I can move forward? Sometimes the second act begins to take place and activate at that point when you've taken a couple of steps forward and a couple of steps back. I think it's A-okay to do that.
Coach Lee Personal Turning Point
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Lee Gray: Many of you know my story. I was working for a technology company, and at the age of 51, I was let go, and boy, did the vacuum open for me.
I had no idea that I would be able to do what I'm doing now when I was... had all those constraints in that job. I was busy. It was a 60-hour-a-week kind of a job, you know? And if I would've stayed there, I think the space and the vacuum in my life would've eventually probably, I don't know, it might have choked the life right out of me.[00:10:00]
And luckily for me, my space opened up, and it was unintentional, but I took hold of that and decided I wanted a second act, and now I'm living that second act. Sometimes the space opens up for us. Sometimes we have to open the space intentionally. Sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back.
What to Release and Next Steps
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Lee Gray: So I wanna ask you, what are you holding onto?
What am I holding onto when I know there's something better for me as I'm entering my second act, as you are entering your second act? It could be an employee that's dragging you down. It could be a customer that's dragging you down. It could be a habit. Now, for me, total transparency, the TV is on too much in my home That's one of the places where I am going to be, or I am being intentional of impacting that space.
It's going to be learning, it's going to be writing in my book, it's going to be studying or spending time with my family, [00:11:00] or even just looking at the sunset or rise. The other thing that may be holding us back is fear or not even being certain of what our, our true identity is. It doesn't matter.
There's space for that identity as you create it. The opportunity that you've been waiting for may already be in place, but you haven't made room for it yet, because the law of the vacuum is at work doing what it's supposed to be doing. ~Substra-~ subtraction is often a step forward in growth. Sometimes you have to let go of some things.
The life you want is somewhere there when you have the space for it. \ Your second act doesn't begin by adding more, it begins by making room. I'd love to know what, what's one thing you need to let go of in your life to make space for the right thing?
What do you need to do about that garage? What do you need to do about that business, that relationship? What do you need to do in your second act?
Quiz Invite and Wrap Up
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Lee Gray: If you think you're ready for your second act, we have a [00:12:00] quiz that you, you're welcome to take. It doesn't cost anything. It'll give you customized answers and sort of tell you where you are ~in,~ in your second act.
I'm really glad that you were here with us today. I hope you've enjoyed the law of the vacuum, and think about how it can be applied in your life.
If you found today's podcast helpful, would you help us help others by sharing this podcast, telling other business owners about it? If you're watching or listening on YouTube, give us ~a s-~ a thumbs up and a review.
And I know everybody asks you to follow them on YouTube, but if you would follow us on YouTube, it really, really would help.
I promise you that we're going to be back for your second act, and we'll have more in the next episode. I'll look forward to seeing you then